Win, or go home
Warren, Grove City meet for chance to keep season alive
Warren’s Jake Kupchella (2) puts in a layup during the first half of a game against Corry at Warren Area High School, Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. Kupchella finished with a team-high 26 points, but it wasn’t enough to get the win.
Thursday’s District 10 Class 4A quarterfinal game between Warren and Grove City (Oil City High School, 6 p.m.) has a lot riding on it.
The loser’s season will come to an end, while a win guarantees at least two more games, with District 10 sending three teams to the PIAA tournament.
Warren is coming off a 54-42 win over Fort LeBoeuf in the first round on Friday, while Grove City, as the No. 2 seed out of Region 5, received a first-round bye.
Of the four quarterfinal matchups, this one is probably the most intriguing.
The Eagles, with a record of 14-8, haven’t played since a 65-59 win over Franklin to close the regular season, and have won five of six coming in.
The Dragons (12-9) also come in hot, having won their last three regular season games before the playoff win over LeBoeuf, which was much closer than the two regular-season meetings between the teams, despite what the final score indicated.
LeBoeuf is actually the only common opponent between the two, with the Eagles scoring a blowout victory over the Bison in their first game of the season back in early December.
From a size perspective, the two teams match up fairly evenly.
Marcos Cintron, Grove City’s dynamic 5-9 senior guard, is their go-to scorer, coming in averaging nearly 20 points per game (19.9).
Kade Persinger, a 6-1 junior and Grove City’s leader in assists, averages 12.2 ppg. and Logan Lutz, a standout on the gridiron who recently signed with Duquesne, checks in at 12.0 ppg.
Caden Mattocks, another 5-9 senior, averages 9.0 ppg.
Cintron and Mattocks will likely matchup with Warren’s duo of Griffin Suppa and Devin McMeans, who are also small in stature but big on ability.
McMeans has been a defensive stopper for the Dragons all season and an adept 3-point shooter, while Suppa, the Dragons’ point guard, came up huge in the first round win over LeBoeuf.
Jake Kupchella (11.2 ppg.) mirrors Lutz in size and ability in both football and basketball, having recently signed to play football at Robert Morris. He was the Dragons’ leading scorer in the first-round win and was aggressive in doing so, driving to the rim and looking for his shot.
Senior forward Caleb Ei has been Warren’s most consistent scorer this season (13.4 ppg.) and both he and Aidan Morrison (6.5 ppg.) provide the muscle underneath. Morrison is also a Division I athlete, signing to play baseball at Canisius next season.
Warren’s bench also played a key role in the win last Friday, with sophomore Ben Berdine scoring 11 points and Jake Funari having a spurt of five-straight points to close the first half. Those two, in addition to Mitch Grosch and Tom Bablak, have given the Dragons consistent minutes all season.
The winner will move on to face the winner of the second game of the doubleheader at OC, Titusville and George Junior Republic, in the semifinals next Tuesday.
Here’s a brief look at the other 4A quarterfinal games.
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Titusville (16-4) vs. George Junior Republic (5-16)
Where: Oil City H.S., 7:30 p.m.
Winner gets: Warren-Grove City winner in semifinals
Top players: Titusville – JaiQuil Johnson, 5-8 Sr., 19.1 ppg.; Guy Anthony, 6-2 Jr., 15.0; Cade Skinner, 5-11 Sr., 14.0; Cole Culver, 6-3 Sr., 6.5; Ethan Roberts, 5-8 Jr., 3.4; GJR – Tyriqe Williams, 5-10 Jr., 22.5; Preston Currie, 6-2 Sr., 17.1; Rakeem Elliott, 5-9 Soph., 7.1; Bryan Peachlum, 6-2 Soph., 7.0.
The pick: Titusville
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Hickory (21-1) vs. Corry (13-10)
Where: Sharon H.S., 7 p.m.
Winner gets: General McLane-Harbor Creek winner in semifinals
Top players: Hickory – Donald Whitehead, 5-9 Jr., 19.4 ppg.; Peyton Mele, 6-2 Soph, 14.4; Isaiah Jarzab, 6-7 Jr., 11.0; Jaylen Jarvie, 6-2 Jr., 7.7; Rocco Iacino, 6-1 Soph. 6.8; Corry – Brandon Elchynski, 6-1 Sr., 15.0; Micah Knapp, 6-3 Jr., 11.1; Reagan James, 5-10 Jr., 7.6; Nathan Gentilman, 6-4 Sr. 5.7; Taylor Willis, 6-3 Jr., 5.1.
The pick: Hickory
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General McLane (18-4) vs. Harbor Creek (6-16)
Where: Hagerty Events Center, 7 p.m.
Winner gets: Hickory-Corry winner in semifinals
Top players: General McLane – Seth Myers, 5-11 Sr., 21.7 ppg.; Logan Donahue, 6-0 Sr., 16.1; Eli Bruce, 6-2 Soph., 5.6, Nate Jones, 6-3 Jr., 5.5, Billy Jukes, 6-1 Jr., 4.3; Greg Barney, 6-0 Sr., 12.4; Sam Howell, 6-1 Soph., 7.2, Scott Stanyard, 5-9 Jr., 5.2, Cody Smith, 6-4. Soph., 4.7, Dante Rocco, 5-10 Sr., 4.2.
The pick: General McLane






